May 19, 2018 – Sierra Foothills, California

Sweet relief.

I feel a welcome sense of accomplishment as I watch the guests tour Meibao’s farm. We’ve worked many hours getting this place into shape. Weeding, mowing, brush and manure removal. Spreading compost and wood chips, building a compost pile…yada, yada, yada. I’ve done these things myriad times. What I haven’t done before, however, is building custom trellises. Analyzing, repairing, and restructuring an irrigation system. Using my own urine as a medical treatment for poison oak rash.

This woman and this place provide many lessons.

Cassidy and I offer guests information about WWOOF and Workaway as they walk by our table. One or two ask questions, but mostly people just bypass us completely. They don’t know what they’re missing. I can’t blame them; there are numerous gardens on the Master Gardeners tour, offering a variety of plants and flowers, trees, landscapes, walking trails, and growing techniques. Meibao’s stands alone as the only organic vegetable garden among them.

Which has truly been a pleasure to work in. The sheer beauty and level of serenity here is intoxicating. I would stay longer, but there’s not enough work on the farm over the summer to necessitate it. Finding paid employment in such a remote area would also be difficult. Therefore, I’ve begun contacting potential hosts in the Bay Area in regard to a summer stay. The draws are many: I would be near my family for a season, getting a paid job would be simple, and the Bay Area is stunningly beautiful.

Witnessing the people touring the farm brings forth feelings of satisfaction, appreciation, and closure. I’m satisfied with the balance my time here has provided. I appreciate everything I have learned from Meibao and her lifestyle. The sense of closure isn’t always present at the end of a stay – to me, this not only depends on whether or not certain projects are finished, but much more importantly, the relationship between host and traveler.

The nature of the exchange.

The mutual act of giving.

The energy created.

“You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others.” – Oprah Winfrey